Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 258 A Strange Encounter in the Toilet

Ikeno is a vindictive person, a fact known to many in the industry, and he has never hidden this "trait."

Therefore, after initially resolving his public opinion issues, Ikeno had no intention of giving up.

This incident involves a large number of people and circles, but ultimately, they can be divided into two major camps.

1. The film industry.

2. Yuena and a series of platforms and companies.

The first one is easy to understand: the conflict between Ikeno and the film industry reached its peak after the huge success of "Girl".

The film industry deeply resents and resists Ikeno, a "monarch" who only knows how to eat meat but doesn't share it with himself. They can't accept Ikeno's aloof attitude... Why do you think Ikeno is "aloof" in their eyes?
Why didn't you agree to "cooperate" with me so many times?

It's one thing to disagree, but to beat us every time is just condescending.
They've never been treated like this before.

As for the second camp, it's easier to understand. YueNa goes without saying. Platforms like KuYing, although they have been acting as bystanders on the surface in this incident, it's unclear whether they actually fueled the flames.

To give a simple example, Tencent Video, which is currently trying to ease tensions with Chi Ye, is promoting a young actor named Xiao Zhan, who is in direct competition with Chi Ye.

The same applies to the other two major platforms. The current landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry is that each platform has its own group of rising stars that it is heavily promoting. The so-called top stars are all "insiders." Some are maintained through personal relationships (financial backers), while others have signed contracts with the platform to make money for it.

In short, everyone else deserves the best resources on this platform more than you, Ikeno.

However, precisely because of Ikeno's current popularity and influence, major platforms have no choice but to swallow their pride and actively try to curry favor with him... This shifting dynamic of offense and defense also makes investors very dissatisfied.

In the end, the conflict between Ikeno and everyone who dislikes Ikeno has never been a personal grudge, but simply a struggle for interests, it's that simple.

Since it's a struggle for interests, Ikeno naturally doesn't need to be polite.

Just as his response went viral online, various trending topics about Yue Na's illegal and disorderly conduct suddenly appeared on the trending search lists and major platforms.

#YuenAnaContract#
#Yuena tax evasion#
#Yuenah Pete Liu#
#Dark Forces in the Entertainment Industry#
#……#
Various related trending topics emerged like a tidal wave, seemingly free of charge. This time, neither Tencent nor Yuena Group could effectively suppress the buzz... As the saying goes, the matter started when Jiang exposed Chu Luanyu, and it has been escalating at a visible speed.

After being publicly named and exposed by numerous celebrities including Chu Luanyu, Qu Qingqing, and Yue Na, plus Chi Ye, this incident has even attracted attention overseas.

Especially in Southeast Asia, because of Ikeno, many Korean and Japanese entertainment media outlets are sharing news about Professor Ikeno and the Chinese entertainment industry.

I can't go down, I simply can't go down.

Yue Na realized for the first time that the current Ikeno is no longer the Ikeno of the past, because this time Yue Na's situation is not simply a matter of being trending on social media for negative reasons, but also involves being named by central media and official media.

The issues that have been exposed about Yue Na this time are not comparable to the last one.

—Your slave contract should be punished. You have connections behind it. At that time, Ikeno was nothing.

Ultimately, it's a matter of "private" gains and losses. With someone backing you up, you can get away with it.

But now that you've evaded so much tax, this isn't a private matter anymore; you're putting a bad eye on all the big shots who endorse you.

Yuena may be finished this time.

That very night, the real boss behind the scenes, Mr. Liu, flew back to China from Europe to urgently handle the unexpected situation that had occurred in the company.

……

Let's go back to the Golden Eagle Awards ceremony.

Ikeno wasn't the finale, well... he declined it himself.

As for the Golden Eagle Awards organizing committee and directing team, and even Hunan TV coming to persuade him, he did not waver—it was not that he was deliberately "retaliating" against the Golden Eagle Awards, but that it was indeed not convenient for him to be high-profile at the moment.

Although the matter has temporarily come to an end, he has other plans, so he walked into the venue alone via the red carpet path before "My Love from the Star".

— He wasn't the grand finale, but he still had to make an appearance, which was also a way of proving that he was "okay".

Even so, the moment he appeared, the flashbulbs around the red carpet went off like crazy, flashing at least ten times more frequently than those of Peng Chen, who was walking on the main red carpet.

Lao Peng felt a sudden, inexplicable embarrassment as the spotlights and cameras that were originally aimed at him suddenly turned away. He felt like he had a heart attack. No, you could have come out a little later!
It really doesn't look like it anymore.

But now that Ikeno is gone, he might be in trouble.

"Have you spoken with Mr. Jiang?"

He slunk into the venue and took out his phone to call his assistant.

"Brother Peng, he's not answering the phone."

"Not answering the phone?"

A very ominous premonition rose in Lao Peng's heart: "He wants to kill the gods and demons?!"

"...I don't know, but you two used to have a good relationship, so you shouldn't worry too much, right? Ikeno was exposed because someone paid for it, you..."

"Do you think Ikeno wouldn't pay him to expose me?"

Peng Chen was furious at his lack of ambition: "He's fine now, but the others might be in trouble."

"We must shut Jiang up... we can't let him keep spouting nonsense."

"Brother, we're not a triad..."

“I didn’t ask you to join the gang. Give him money. You have to contact him directly, give him money, and tell him to get lost.”

"Okay... I understand, I'll contact him again."

"be quick!!"

Peng Chen was truly uncertain now, because he wasn't Chi Ye. Chi Ye was indeed known for "lacking autonomy," but Peng Chen did have it.

Many media outlets and onlookers have now set their sights on him, waiting for Jiang to expose him so they can profit from his misfortune.

Damn it, Jiang, you really deserve to be compared to him!

As Peng Chen thought about this, he became increasingly nervous. Suddenly, his stomach started rumbling, and he instantly clenched his trousers—he felt the urge to urinate.

This is also a recurring problem of his; whenever he gets nervous, he feels the urge to urinate.

He glanced around and, finding it was still early, tucked his crotch in and headed towards the restroom.

"Huh? Where's Chenchen?"

On the other side, a middle-aged woman weighing at least 250 pounds and less than 1.6 meters tall walked over, but did not see Peng Chen. She asked in confusion, "Where is my little baby?"

"Uh...Sis, he seems to have gone to the bathroom."

"what."

Peng Chen's old baby nodded, covering her mouth and laughing: "Oh dear, he just loves going to the toilet, his hobby is so peculiar."

Waiter: "..."

"Please have a seat here and wait for him?"

"Well, there's no rush."

Old Baby glanced at the waiter and noticed that the young man looked clean and neat, so she smiled and asked, "Young man, how old are you this year? How much do you earn a month working here?"

"..."

……

In the institute.

Peng Chen, squatting on the toilet, yelled into the phone, "Still haven't been able to contact them? What are you guys even good for?"

"Stop calling! If you can't get through, try a different approach. Try contacting people from his old company, people he knows... What's that sound? I'm in the bathroom..."

"...Has Yue Na been turned into such a mess? Is it going to be completely wiped out this time?"

"Alright, alright, I'm done talking now, I'm done."

Lao Peng hung up the phone, startled by the news his team had just told him—it seemed Yue Na was definitely going to be investigated.

Then he... He became even more nervous, his pants, which he had just pulled up, stopped, and he sat on the toilet to continue.

"What should I do... If something happens to Yuena, I'll definitely be in trouble too... Ugh, this is so annoying... If all else fails, I'll have to go find Old Baby."

Lao Peng rubbed his face in frustration.

bang bang.

Just then, a noise came from next door.

Just as Lao Peng was pondering how to escape this predicament, he suddenly shuddered and was startled—he was using "high-class bathrooms," which were spacious and well-insulated by partitions. How could there be such a noise from next door?

Unless… he was eavesdropping on me right there against the wall.

"Who? Who is it?!"

Peng Chen shouted loudly, "Come out!"

"..."

There was no sound from next door.

Peng Chen paused, glanced down at the toilet, remained silent for a full three seconds, and then suddenly looked up.

A dark-skinned man with long, flowing hair poked his head out from above the partition, staring intently at him.

Seeing him looking over, the man smiled slightly and greeted him, "Running around, huh?"

"?! Holy crap!!"

Peng Chen was so frightened that he immediately swore.

Then he recognized the man and was even more horrified: "Jiang Yi?! What are you doing here?!"

Despite his disheveled appearance, Jiang clung tightly to the partition, saying, "Haven't you been looking for me? I'll talk to you face-to-face; it's safer that way."

"How did you know I was here? And... how did you get in?"

Peng Chen was still in shock, but after recognizing Jiang Yi, he felt inexplicably relieved, even having "escaped a disaster."

It's good that people are here, it's good that they're here.

The fact that people were seen proves that the matter is negotiable. Jiang's desire to obtain the stone was not what he expected.

"I know you, the toilet is your resurrection point."

Seeing that he had finally "squatted" down on Peng Chen, Jiang loosened his grip, and Peng Chen fell to the ground with a thud. He then knocked on the door and said, "Open the door."

"what are you doing?!"

Peng Chen became nervous when he saw him like this—he was neither as tall nor as strong as Jiang, could this guy be out of his mind and coming to confront him offline?

He can't beat them.

"What can I do? Money, give me money."

Jiang had been inside for a while and knew no one was around, so he laid his cards on the table: "Fifty million. Give me fifty million, and I'll disappear immediately."

Peng Chen: “?!”

"No way, are you crazy? Are you sick in the head? Fifty million, you actually dare to ask for it..."

"give or not?"

"I……"

Peng Chen suddenly realized what was happening, and cautiously shut his mouth, no longer speaking.

Through the door, Jiang seemed to guess what he was thinking and said speechlessly, "Even after all this, do you think I would still record this?"

"meeting."

This is word of mouth.

After a two-second silence, Jiang said, "Then you don't need to answer, just listen to me."

"Give me 50 million, and I'll leave immediately and never talk nonsense again."

Peng Chen: “…”

Can't you wait until I've finished using the restroom before we talk?
"Chenchen, I hope you can understand me. Brother, I really have no other choice."

Outside the cubicle, Jiang burst into tears as she spoke: "Do you know what I've been through these past few days? I've watched you and Chi Ye live such a glamorous life... Even Zhang Xianming, that borderline scoundrel, has become 'President Zhang'... It hurts me so much!"

"Chenchen, don't even think about leaving. I'm not leaving until you give me the money today. If Chi Ye and the media see this, it will be you who ordered me to do it."

Peng Chen: "!!"

Deceiving too much!

"Lao Peng, I've heard that people are most vulnerable when they're in a state of panic. You must be feeling very insecure right now, right?"

Seeing that Lao Peng was pretending to be dead, Jiang finally became impatient.

Upon hearing his words, Peng Chen felt a surge of emotion welling up inside him. At the same time, he glanced down at the toilet and suddenly said, "You're wrong."

"Ok?"

Jiang was taken aback.

Peng Chen: "People are most vulnerable when they are in a vulnerable state, but they don't realize that at the same time they are vulnerable, they also have the most powerful weapon."

Jiang was dumbfounded.

Click.

The door opened, and Peng Chen pointed at Jiang: "Don't run!"

Jiang almost instinctively ran outside, covering his nose and exclaiming in shock, "Peng Chen, what the hell are you doing?! Are you playing dirty tricks?!"

Peng Chen didn't reply at all. After feinting, he turned around and ran out of the bathroom without looking back.

Jiang was stunned again before realizing that he had been tricked by Peng Chen.

In a moment of panic and anger, he hurriedly followed, saying, "Listen to me..."

"Don't come any closer! If you want to go to Thailand to find Shen Qingyu, go ahead, but don't drag me down with you!"

"No, aren't you afraid I'll expose you?"

The two voices faded into the distance. Although Peng Chen told Jiang to get lost, he was actually secretly observing whether anyone else was paying attention to him.

Jiang understood perfectly, and the two believed they hadn't been discovered by anyone else.

Ok…

In the women's restroom next door, Sister Shang shook the water droplets off her hands and peered curiously in the direction where the two had disappeared, her eyes sparkling with excitement and "happiness."

Yes, she felt so happy these past few days. Ikeno is truly Ikeno... So many big things have happened in just a few days?
Now... it seems like something "good" is about to happen again.

She took out her phone and texted Chi Ye: "Little Chi, Little Chi, guess who I saw in the bathroom?"

"Jiang! Jiang actually showed up at the scene! My God, I don't know how he got in... He was with Peng Chen... They seemed to be talking about fifty million..."

ten minutes later.

The Golden Eagle Awards ceremony has begun.

Ikeno sat in the center, eyes fixed straight ahead, quietly waiting for his first Best Actor award in his career.

All the big names around him, or rather, 80% of the eyes at the entire party, were glancing at him—this top influencer who was on the verge of a "collapse" not long ago, but is now sitting here perfectly fine.

(End of this chapter)